Portable AC power supply with multiple uses

ABSTRACT

The present invention consists of a highly versatile AC portable power supply which can be used in a variety of situations to power 110 V AC common household devices, including holiday lighting or driveway or path lighting. It can also be used to jump start a dead vehicle battery either by a trickle charge via the vehicle&#39;s lighter outlet. The portable AC unit is provided with at least 3 sets of recharging plugs so that the user can recharge it with solar panels, or 110 V standard household current or 12 V vehicle battery. The portable AC unit is also provided with a timer to automatically turn it on and off at a preset time. In addition, it is provided with a display unit which can display the time left until recharge is needed, and when it is being recharged, how long it will take to fully charge.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of 110 V AC portablepower supplies and more particularly those which are adopted to avariety of purposes, such as starting a dead car battery, illuminatingholiday decorations for an extended period of time, or using with otherhousehold uses where a normal AC outlet is not readily available.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Currently, in the marketplace, there are not many portable ACpower supplies. Most notably, there is nothing to illuminate holidaydecorations for a definite period of time which are located a distancefrom outlets. Sometimes it is difficult or impossible to string anextension cord to remote locations about the perimeter of one's house.There is certainly no portable AC supply which is provided with a timerto turn lights on and off at a preset time which could avoid the use ofan extension cord over long distances. There is no portable AC powersupply which can be used in remote locations as for camping or picnicingwhich can supply power to a radio or TV.

[0003] In reviewing the prior art, there are portable power supplieswhich are bulky or not easy to use. One such invention is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,111,127 issued to Johnson and U.S. Pat. No. 2,978,596issued to Robirds which disclose very bulky power suppies which are usedto power tools at remote locations around a job site. In theseinventions is used a DC rechargeable battery which is equipped with anDC to AC converter which can function as a 110V AC current supply. Ofcourse, the unit is charged by plugging it into an AC power supply anduses an AC to DC converter to charge the internal battery.

[0004] One interesting invention, U.S. Pat. No. 3,919,615 issued to R.Niecke, discloses the use of a specialized power belt which can carrybatteries which are used to supply power to a variety of portable powertools equipped with special plugs.

[0005] Other issued patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,565 issuedto 1. Chen disclose AC powered devices which can be used with a DCbattery, but they are provided with specialized plugs so that they canbe used only with a vehicle cigarette lighter opening and are onlypowered or recharged with the energy supplied by the 12 V from a carbattery and hence cannot be used in a variety of situations.

[0006] However, none of the inventions seen in the prior art disclosesthe use of a simple, lightweight power supply which can be used in amultiple of situations in a convenient and safe manner, as does thepresent invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention consists of a portable AC power supplyhaving a standard three prong outlet with a safety interrupt circuitwhich is intended to be used in outdoor as well as indoor conditions.The portable AC power supply is lightweight in nature and can be poweredby a highly efficient NiCad or similar rechargeable battery. The ACpower supply is provided with a detachable car lighter plug so that itcan easily convert the 12 Volts from a vehicle's battery into 110 Voltsfor use with a standard household appliance such as a TV, radio, CDplayer and the like. It may also be recharged by the vehicle's batteryby simply pushing a button. Or, when recharged, it can also jump start avehicle by providing a trickle charge back into the car's battery by useof the vehicle's lighter plug.

[0008] The portable AC power supply can also be supplied with a timerfor outdoor use when a homeowner desires to use lighting or decorationsin special places which are far from an outlet so as to avoid use ofextension plugs which can be dangerous when people trip over them orwhich may overload circuits. Further, it is anticipated that additionalunits may be ganged together so that the device can provide extendedlife in situations where this is desired. Solar panels can also beprovided as an option which can merely plug into the device to rechargeit when it is used in sunny, outdoor situations.

[0009] And finally, it is anticipated that the AC power supply iscompletely water resistant and rugged such that it can be used incamping or other outdoor situations where water may be present, or itmay be raining or snowing. It can be used on job sites to power standardpower tools. In short, the present invention comprises a highlyadaptable, versatile tool which can provide short term or long termpower in a variety of situations.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Thus, it is one primary object of the present invention toprovide a portable AC power supply in which the device can be charged indifferent fashions, including solar panels, a charge from a vehiclethrough its lighter outlet, or through a traditional AC to DC powerconverter which is supplied internally in the device.

[0011] It is yet another primary object of the present invention toprovide a portable AC power supply with a time which allows it to go onat a preset time and be turned off at yet at least another preset time.

[0012] It is still another primary object of the present invention toprovide a portable AC power supply with a GFI outlet or safety interruptwhich is a safety device which will turn off the unit automatically whenit senses that the device to which it is connected with has shorteditself out.

[0013] It is another primary object of the present invention to provideelectrical connecting pins on the front and back or each unit andphysical connecting means so that two or more of the portable AC powersupplies can be ganged together to provided extended power service whennecessary.

[0014] It is still yet another primary object of the present inventionto provide a display unit which can display the current powerconsumption of the device, the relative power storage level of the unitand the resultant expectant life of the power supply in hours andminutes so that the user can reasonably anticipate the need to rechargethe unit and know in advance how much time is left to the next recharge.

[0015] It is still another primary object of the present invention tocalculate while the unit is recharging, how much additional time isrequired for a full charge and display this calculated value in hoursand minutes to the user of the device, based upon the type of rechargingchosen, be it through solar panels, a standard 110 Volt outlet or a 12 VDC vehicle battery.

[0016] These and other objects and advantages of the present inventioncan be readily derived from the following detailed description of thedrawings taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings presentherein and should be considered as within the overall scope of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention, multi-usepower supply showing some of its specialized features for convenient 110AC power supply recharging.

[0018]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention, with twomulti-use power supplies connected together so as to provide power foran extended period of time.

[0019]FIG. 3 is a flow chart of the steps involved to set up the timermechanism for the present invention.

[0020]FIG. 4 is an elevation broken away view of the interior of thepresent invention

[0021]FIG. 5 is a flow charge showing the arrangements of components ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Shown now in FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the presentinvention showing multi-use power supply 10. Shown in this drawing arehousing 20 and handle 22 which is used for convenient carrying of thedevice since it is intended that the device be completely portable. Inthe interior of the device are at least one high highly efficientrechargeable batteries, preferably NiCAD, or any other efficientrechargeable battery, commonly available in the market place.

[0023] The device may be charged is using a recharging cable 24 whichcan plug into a standard household outlet to charge the interior batteryor batteries. Common charging times are expected to be 18 to 24 hoursfor a full charge. This recharging cable 24 is removably installed intopin 110 V outlet 26. When the user desires to recharge the device, sheor he will toggle on select button 28 which is located near the pin 110V outlet 26.

[0024] After the multi-use power supply 10 has been properly chargedthen the user may begin use of the device. If the user desires, the dual110 V AC outlets 30 located on the side of multi-use power supply 10 maybe used by plugging in any standard household appliance, tool or otherelectric device into 110 V AC outlets 30 and by toggling on selectbutton 32 which is located directly adjacent the 110 V AC outlets. Ofcourse, if the user desires, the use of these 110 V AC outlets can betimed by setting a timer on the device. A display LED 34 is providedwhich can display current time, current voltage setting, at least onestart time and one end time, estimated hours of battery life based uponcurrent voltage and last battery charge time, and estimated timeremaining to fully charge the device. In this particular instance, thedisplay LED 34 shows that it is currently 1:50 pm, that the device willturn on at 7:00 pm and will shut off at 10:00 pm. These would appear tobe typical settings for holiday decorations or outside walk lights wherean outlet is not available. The timer circuit is turned on when theselect button 36 is toggled on by the user. The display LED 34 alsoshows that there is 2.0 hours of battery life estimated left in thedevice. When the unit is charging, it will display the amount of timeremaining to provide a full charge to the battery.

[0025] With the present invention, if the user desires to jump her orhis vehicle, this will be made entirely possible by connecting carjumper cable 36 to pin 12 V outlet 42. Car jumper cable 36 is providedwith a standard car cigarette lighter adapter 44 at one end which can beplugged into the cor's cigarette lighter adapter 44 at one end which canbe plugged into the cor's cigarette lighter opening when the use desiresto either jump start a car or to charge multi use power supply 10 fromthe electric power provided by the cor's battery or electrical system.When select button 28 is toggled on by the user, the user can jump acar. When select button 40 is toggled on by the user, then the user canrecharge multi-use power supply by plugging in cigarette lighter adapter44 into the opening provided in a vehicle for the vehicle's cigarettelighter.

[0026] In some instances a user may desire to use a device which has acar cigarette light adapter jack (similar to that shown on jumper cable36 as cigarette lighter adopter plug 44) which is intended to be pluggeddirectly into a vehicle's cigarette lighter opening, but at somedistance away from the vehicle. In that instance, the user would usejumper cable 48 which also may be plugged into 12 V pin outlet 42 shownon the device. However, in this instance, selector button 50 is toggledon by the user to provide 12 V of DC power out to jumper cable 48 sothat the user can plug in a cell phone with a car lighter jack, or acomputer, shaver, etc., simply and directly without the use of a further12 V adapter and loVplug.

[0027] Also shown on multi-use power supply 10 is an additional optionwherein a folding solar panel unit 52 is provided with jumper cable 54which can be plugged into pin outlet 56. It should be noted that in thiscase the solar panel unit is hinged so that it can be convenientlyfolded up for storage or it may be more easily transported. Themulti-use power supply 10 will then trickle charge with about 500 to 800mA when in use and placed in full sun. It should be noted that pinoutlet 56 is different from pin outlet 42 so that the user will notbecome confused as to which jumper cable is used where. The solar panel52 option is operated by the user by toggling on select button 58 whenthis option is desired to be used.

[0028] When the multi-use power supply 10 is used with 110 V, a safetyinterrupt circuit 60 is also provided. Should the multi-use power supply10 detect a short circuit or circuit overload from the 110 V AC outlets30, the unit will automatically shut off and the user will need tocorrect the problem and then reset the device by pressing on resetbutton 62. To test the effectiveness of the safety interrupt system 60,the user will be able to press test button 64 to see if an electricaldevice plugged into 110 V AC outlets 30 will shut off. The multi-usepower supply 10 can then be reset by pressing reset button 60.

[0029] As an additional option, multi-use power supply 10 may beprovided with electrical connector elements 66 that allow two or more ofsuch devices to be ganged together, front and back, as shown in FIG. 2.Power is transferred between units by the electrical connector elements66 which are shown both in FIGS. 1 and 2. One of the electrical 5connector elements 66 on the front of the device is positive while theother is negative. Corresponding electrical connector elements are to befound on the bock of each multi-use power supply 10, so that they mayproperly engage with the electrical connector elements on the front ofthe multi-use power supply 200 which is connected directly behind it.

[0030] The multi-use power supplies 10 and 200 shown in FIG. 2 arephysically 10 connected together by means of slidably engaging tongues70 located in the posterior top and bottom of multi-use power supply 200which are adopted to slidably engage with grooves 272 which are locatedin the anterior top and bottom of multi-use power supply 200. When notin use, the tongues 70 and 270 are tucked into housings 20 and 220, butwhen in use they can slidably engage and lock into corresponding grooveslocated on the front of the power supply to be added. In such a manner,the life of one power supply can be greatly extended where the userneeds power for a longer amount of time. After multi-use supply unitshave been ganged together and tongues 70 have been locked into groove272 located on the front top and bottom of multi-use power supply 200,the user can then toggle on button 68 to draw the additional powerthrough contact elements 66.

[0031]FIG. 3 illustrates is flow chart form how the timer and clock isset for multi-use power supply 10. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, theenter button 80 is used to select the function, while decrease andincrease buttons 82 and 84 are used to increase or decrease numericvariables on the LED display face 34. The set up procedure of multi-usepower supply 10 is accomplished as follows. As soon as the user selectsany of the myraid of select buttons on the face of the device, the LEDdisplay face 34 will enter into the set up mode 100 shown in FIG. 3. TheLED will display “enter time” 110 and it will flash on the first numeralof the time to be set and the user will use the decrease and increasebuttons 82 and 84 to set the first numeral and will push the enterbutton 80 again, at which time the second numeral of the time to be setwill flash. The user will continue on with this procedure until thecurrent time is set. Next, when the user presses the timer button 36 toselect use of the timer circuitry 112, this will toggle on th timercircuit and the multi-use power supply will ask the user for the starttime 113 and the user will enter that in a similar fashion by using theenter button 80 and the decrease and increase buttons 82 and 84 untilthis is accomplished. The user will then be prompted to enter the stoptime 114, and this task will be accomplished in a similar fashion withthe enter, increase and decrease buttons, 80, 82 and 84. When this isall done, the multi-use power supply 10 will request that the userselect the voltage desired 115, and as soon as the user does this, theunit will start the time and timer circuit, turning the device on andoff at the proper time set each day for this task. By using the solarpanel feature, the user can place a set of night lights near drivewaysand walkways at night and the unit will charge itself during the day andthen turn on the night lights at specific times each night for safety,all without the need for household current or an outlet nearby.

[0032] Shown in FIG. 4 is multi-use power supply 10 with housing rear 21and handle 22. In the broken away view are shown battery 86 withpositive end terminal 88 and negative end terminal 90. These endterminal are connected to their respective lead wires, negative leadwire 92 and positive lead wire 94. The lead wires will connect tocircuitry that runs the electronics for the charging of the battery,battery output, the clock and the timer circuit.

[0033] Shown in FIG. 5 is a flow chart 300 which depicts theinterconnections of the various components of one preferred embodimentof the present invention, multi-use power supply 10. At the top of flowchart 300 is shown how there are four different ways by which battery386 may obtain a charge input, namely, via additional multi-use powersupplies 310, or 110 volt AC current recharge 324, or 12V DC current carrecharge 344 when car is on, or even via connected solar panels 352,which would provide a trickle charge. Also shown in this figure is howbattery 386 may output its power in two different ways, namely via a 12volt DC output 348 by means of a car adapter, such as to recharge orjump start a discharge car battery, or via 110 volt AC output 330 whichconnects to a standard outlet and can be used to illuminate holidaydecorations, or used as a portable camp light, etc. Of course a safetyinterrupt 364 and a clock timer 334 can shut off power to both 12 voltDC output 334 or 110 volt AC output 330, as desired by the user of thepresent invention.

[0034] Although in the foregoing detailed description the presentinvention has been described by reference to various specificembodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and alterationsin the structure and arrangement of those embodiments other than thosespecifically set forth herein may be achieved by those skilled in theart and that such modifications and alterations are to be considered aswithin the overall scope of this invention.

1. A multiple use electrical distribution device having a housing and ahandle for carrying the device, and additionally having; at least onerechargeable power storage unit contained in the housing; at least onestandard 110 V outlet adopted to receive a electrical plug for anordinary household appliance or device, a clock circuit and LED displayunit capable of displaying the current time; a timer circuit and a timerswitch which can cut off flow of electricity to the 110 V outlet after apredetermined amount of time; and, a safety interrupt device connectedto the 110 V outlet which can cut off the 110 V outlet whenever a shortcircuit is detected.
 2. The electrical distribution device according toclaim 1 further having a 12 V outlet capable of receiving a firstconnecter and a jumper cable having a corresponding second connecter forcommunicating with the device at one end and a car adopter connecter atthe other end of the cable wherein the jumper cable can be used to jumpa dead car battery, or when the vehicle is on, the vehicle will chargethe electrical distribution device's rechargeable power storage unit. 3.The electrical distribution device according to claim 1 further having alow voltage outlet capable of receiving a first connector and a jumpercable having a corresponding second connector for communicating with thedevice at one end and a solar panel unit connected to the other end ofthe cable wherein the jumper cable can be used to recharge theelectrical distribution device.
 4. The electrical distribution deviceaccording to claim 1 further having a 12 V outlet capable of receiving afirst connector and a jumper cable having a corresponding secondconnector for communicating with the device and a car adapter receptacleat the other end of the device wherein a car adapter plug cancommunicate with the device to provide power to a cell phone anywhere.5. The electrical distribution device according to claim 1 wherein 2 ormore such devices are provided, each having at least one physicalinterconnecting means communicating with its housing and at least twoelectrical connector means, wherein when the 2 or more electricaldistribution devices are joined with their respective physicalconnecting means joined together and their electrical connector meansare also joined together additional power and/or battery life may beprovided from all of the electrical distribution devices which have beenjoined together.